2 Japanese, 2 German. R33, STI, 991 & RS4
Discussion
Hello all. Long time no post so since I've had a full swap of cars over the last few years I thought I'd pop up a few pics and answer any questions in case anyone wants to know more. Despite the title they're all quite cheap to run too 
It's a 50/50 split between German and Japanese with two AWD estates and two coupes so a fairly decent mix.
Anyway here's the meat:
2005 Subaru Forester STI
A mild performance increase and completely wonderful.
99,596 miles
2015 Audi RS4
Completely standard, utterly wonderful, utterly reliable and on the original DRC.
108,000 miles (75 with us)
2018 Porsche 911 GTS
Goes well. s
t black wheels.
19,000 miles
1997 Nissan Skyline GTR
Flawless and standard aside from an exhaust to preserve the original and some minor light changes.
93,000 kms
Thx and hope you are all having a nice Christmas
It's a 50/50 split between German and Japanese with two AWD estates and two coupes so a fairly decent mix.
Anyway here's the meat:
2005 Subaru Forester STI
A mild performance increase and completely wonderful.
99,596 miles
2015 Audi RS4
Completely standard, utterly wonderful, utterly reliable and on the original DRC.
108,000 miles (75 with us)
2018 Porsche 911 GTS
Goes well. s
t black wheels.19,000 miles
1997 Nissan Skyline GTR
Flawless and standard aside from an exhaust to preserve the original and some minor light changes.
93,000 kms
Thx and hope you are all having a nice Christmas
Edited by moneypits on Friday 27th December 22:24
Obi Wan said:
Are you ever tempted to mod the st out of the GTR?
It’s crossed my mind but it really doesn’t lack power and the exhaust has a great tone to it. On a trailing throttle it sounds like the far off gunfire from a farmer hunting pheasants. It’ll do an occasional pop and bang as well which does bring a smile. t out of the GTR?The chassis is where mo ey would be well spent but it rides so smoothly I’d worry about wrecking the ride quality. A set of Ohlins would sort it out and leave it fairly adjustable.
The interior is in a great state but the seats are too shallow for me so I’d want something longer. A set of dark Bride seats would do nicely but I’d have to try them out as they’re expensive for a hopeful import.
Ved said:
Hello all. Long time no post so since I've had a full swap of cars over the last few years I thought I'd pop up a few pics and answer any questions in case anyone wants to know more. Despite the title they're all quite cheap to run too
It's a 50/50 split between German and Japanese with two AWD estates and two coupes so a fairly decent mix.
Anyway here's the meat:
2005 Subaru Forester STI
A mild performance increase and completely wonderful.
99,596 miles
2015 Audi RS4
Completely standard, utterly wonderful, utterly reliable and on the original DRC.
108,000 miles (75 with us)
2018 Porsche 911 GTS
Goes well. st black wheels.
19,000 miles
1997 Nissan Skyline GTR
Flawless and standard aside from an exhaust to preserve the original and some minor light changes.
93,000 kms
Thx and hope you are all having a nice Christmas
Nice collection. What's the RS4 like to run day to day in this day and age? Does it still seem quick compared to today's mild hybrids/diesels? No offence, ever since I've seen one I've wanted one and they still look great but I'm abit worried myself that if I bought one I'd be a little disappointed. I've looked at 3 now recently and still can't decide if I should buy one or not 🫢😂It's a 50/50 split between German and Japanese with two AWD estates and two coupes so a fairly decent mix.
Anyway here's the meat:
2005 Subaru Forester STI
A mild performance increase and completely wonderful.
99,596 miles
2015 Audi RS4
Completely standard, utterly wonderful, utterly reliable and on the original DRC.
108,000 miles (75 with us)
2018 Porsche 911 GTS
Goes well. s
t black wheels.19,000 miles
1997 Nissan Skyline GTR
Flawless and standard aside from an exhaust to preserve the original and some minor light changes.
93,000 kms
Thx and hope you are all having a nice Christmas
Edited by moneypits on Friday 27th December 22:24
Toddtherod said:
Nice collection.
Thx!Toddtherod said:
What's the RS4 like to run day to day in this day and age? Does it still seem quick compared to today's mild hybrids/diesels? No offence, ever since I've seen one I've wanted one and they still look great but I'm abit worried myself that if I bought one I'd be a little disappointed. I've looked at 3 now recently and still can't decide if I should buy one or not ????
A good question and hopefully I'll be able to answer better than most considering we've had it for 7+ years and into somewhat leggy mileage - although on average it's just normal usage.The main thing is they're designed to be used and mileage makes little to no difference. It's still just an Audi A4 so is extremely solid and well made but needs servicing correctly and attending to like a normal German estate car.
There are no rattles inside at all and the only issue we've had that required work on the spot was a headlight washer tube popping off and pissing water everywhere. I made a little noise when I saw it all over the driveway but thankfully a simple fix. Audio is Bose and bloody wonderful, seats are superb although the leather needs an annual top as it is the harder variety so it ages as well as you care for it. All the trim looks new - the carbon is especially cool and something I've always loved with RS models - and the boot is big enough for our dog or a load of tip boxes. The rears fold down of course and the dog likes the ski hatch. It feels extremely high quality inside and it'll last another ten years if not more before showing any wear. I don't like sitting in the back though as it feels a little too choppy to me and the seats in front are large so you can't really see past them. I get car sick sitting in any car so It's no good for me but I'm rarely in the back anyway. Kids have loads of room even with all their car seats so as a family car it is spot on. I wouldn't consider regularly taking 4 adults in it though.
The body has lasted really well too and there's no rust issues anywhere. The one thing I did chose to fix a couple of years ago was to get the front end painted and address some scratches from car parks on the sides. I used it for work a lot when I did long trips so it picked up stone chips and when I wanted to get it polished the local detailer said he wouldn't be able to do much with it as it'd just end up taking paint off. Now it looks new and I had the wheels done too. They had a very cool ringed diamond cut section to them but we've had them done a couple of times and that means they can't be cut again. I should have had them painted a brighter silver but it still looks ok.
Other work done outside of servicing was a full bush refresh a couple of years ago as most had been living on borrowed time and it really made the car feel floppy - like the tyres were deflated. A very expensive bush swap later and the car felt like new. Very sharp to drive and much more compliant so if there's any slop in any you try factor in £800 for new bushes and do all of them. The exhaust is still fine but I'll happily change that when needed although it does sound incredible on full blast. Most of the general noise is induction. DRC is holding on and there is no knocking at all which is the sign for when to change it. The front ones are weeping - they've been weeping for 6 years - but until there's a knock they are completely fine. I don't change any settings on them so they stay in comfort and are just fine. The issue long before the DRC fails or needs changing is the sensors inside the struts that can report back odd values and throw up a message on the dash. I had that once - just before setting off to Cornwall - but once the code was cleared it's been fine since although the car never felt off when it did flash up. The sensor, naturally, can't be changed so it'd be a new strut, which means you may as well do all of them which I've no intention of doing when there's a good set of coilovers and a DRC cancellation box for a couple of grand and it'll probably ride better then too.
To drive it's great at what it does which is to point at the end of a road and get you there very quickly. Obviously well planted and very safe even at some extreme edge cases: I had to swerve violently coming around a corner and brake at max pressure to avoid a tool on the wrong side of the road and the car just took over and kept it stable while I kept a lovely balance of staying on the road, scrubbing off 40mph in next to no distance and swearing like a sailor at the TT with a death wish. In better conditions it's brilliant and can handle pretty much any road your tyres allow for.
Your question about the engine and overall performance is valid though as the power is all the way up after 4k so if you're used to modern turbos that have all the power low down then this is different. Like an R8 would be. However, you've then got more than the first 4k to play with and with the gearbox (superb) it will travel at whatever pace you want. I couldn't keep up with a clearly mapped 3 series diesel but neither could the 458 next to me and I'm ok living in that performance bracket. It's fast, is the best sounding car we've had by a long distance and can just as easily sit at 30 than 170+
While we're talking about the engine you can forget about the coking issues the B7 had as these don't seem to suffer in the same way. It's an easy thing to check as you can get the engine nice and hot and then just nail it in 2nd and look at the small amount of soot clearing away. Once or twice a month is all it needs and the performance drop off you'd get in a B7 that wasn't gifted a walnut clean will never happen. Service it, keep the oil topped up (mine uses about a litre every 6 months/5k) but it's designed to burn off a little oil when being ran at high temps and RPM so again, just look after it.
They do eat tyres and need Pilot Sport 4S. Never ever use Pirellis but that goes for any car as they are s
t.In today's market they are now extremely cheap to buy. Forget the low mileage ones as they'll cost you more than any basic fixes or servicing on a regularly used one like mine. I got mine from Fontain in Iver (hello Dr G) and will give you a good place to start from if you're still considering one.
MPG is 23 over the life of the car, 23.3 since we've had it and when I used it almost exclusively for long trips it'd do 30 without issue. I can get 30 pottering around outside of town driving too so aside from the 911 (I can get 42mpg on trips with that) it's extremely economical compared to the company it keeps.
Edited by moneypits on Sunday 29th December 13:28
macron said:
How do you decide between taking the Subaru or the Audi..?
The missus has the RS4 most days as it's her commuting car so the decision is usually made for me as I mostly work from home. Generally the Subaru is more engaging and a lot more raw as you'd imagine so for fun it'll always win. I can chuck loads into the back off it (a cut up bed is sat in it at the moment awaiting a tip run on Tuesday) so it's more of a work horse and my daily especially over winter. Subarus really are loyal dogs. It don't drive it particularly hard and thanks to the map (313bhp) it has more than enough power that I don't need to really rev it beyond 5k. On full boost it does sound incredible though. The panel filter has a lovely induction noise and the Fujitsubo exhaust is just right around town so it's not especially in-your-ears.
Long trips though, the RS will win hands down. It's not something you'd want to drive to get max fun from as it is a big heavy thing but it's much more comfortable and quiet.
Edited by moneypits on Monday 30th December 11:54
moneypits said:
Toddtherod said:
Nice collection.
Thx!Toddtherod said:
What's the RS4 like to run day to day in this day and age? Does it still seem quick compared to today's mild hybrids/diesels? No offence, ever since I've seen one I've wanted one and they still look great but I'm abit worried myself that if I bought one I'd be a little disappointed. I've looked at 3 now recently and still can't decide if I should buy one or not ????
A good question and hopefully I'll be able to answer better than most considering we've had it for 7+ years and into somewhat leggy mileage - although on average it's just normal usage.The main thing is they're designed to be used and mileage makes little to no difference. It's still just an Audi A4 so is extremely solid and well made but needs servicing correctly and attending to like a normal German estate car.
There are no rattles inside at all and the only issue we've had that required work on the spot was a headlight washer tube popping off and pissing water everywhere. I made a little noise when I saw it all over the driveway but thankfully a simple fix. Audio is Bose and bloody wonderful, seats are superb although the leather needs an annual top as it is the harder variety so it ages as well as you care for it. All the trim looks new - the carbon is especially cool and something I've always loved with RS models - and the boot is big enough for our dog or a load of tip boxes. The rears fold down of course and the dog likes the ski hatch. It feels extremely high quality inside and it'll last another ten years if not more before showing any wear. I don't like sitting in the back though as it feels a little too choppy to me and the seats in front are large so you can't really see past them. I get car sick sitting in any car so It's no good for me but I'm rarely in the back anyway. Kids have loads of room even with all their car seats so as a family car it is spot on. I wouldn't consider regularly taking 4 adults in it though.
The body has lasted really well too and there's no rust issues anywhere. The one thing I did chose to fix a couple of years ago was to get the front end painted and address some scratches from car parks on the sides. I used it for work a lot when I did long trips so it picked up stone chips and when I wanted to get it polished the local detailer said he wouldn't be able to do much with it as it'd just end up taking paint off. Now it looks new and I had the wheels done too. They had a very cool ringed diamond cut section to them but we've had them done a couple of times and that means they can't be cut again. I should have had them painted a brighter silver but it still looks ok.
Other work done outside of servicing was a full bush refresh a couple of years ago as most had been living on borrowed time and it really made the car feel floppy - like the tyres were deflated. A very expensive bush swap later and the car felt like new. Very sharp to drive and much more compliant so if there's any slop in any you try factor in £800 for new bushes and do all of them. The exhaust is still fine but I'll happily change that when needed although it does sound incredible on full blast. Most of the general noise is induction. DRC is holding on and there is no knocking at all which is the sign for when to change it. The front ones are weeping - they've been weeping for 6 years - but until there's a knock they are completely fine. I don't change any settings on them so they stay in comfort and are just fine. The issue long before the DRC fails or needs changing is the sensors inside the struts that can report back odd values and throw up a message on the dash. I had that once - just before setting off to Cornwall - but once the code was cleared it's been fine since although the car never felt off when it did flash up. The sensor, naturally, can't be changed so it'd be a new strut, which means you may as well do all of them which I've no intention of doing when there's a good set of coilovers and a DRC cancellation box for a couple of grand and it'll probably ride better then too.
To drive it's great at what it does which is to point at the end of a road and get you there very quickly. Obviously well planted and very safe even at some extreme edge cases: I had to swerve violently coming around a corner and brake at max pressure to avoid a tool on the wrong side of the road and the car just took over and kept it stable while I kept a lovely balance of staying on the road, scrubbing off 40mph in next to no distance and swearing like a sailor at the TT with a death wish. In better conditions it's brilliant and can handle pretty much any road your tyres allow for.
Your question about the engine and overall performance is valid though as the power is all the way up after 4k so if you're used to modern turbos that have all the power low down then this is different. Like an R8 would be. However, you've then got more than the first 4k to play with and with the gearbox (superb) it will travel at whatever pace you want. I couldn't keep up with a clearly mapped 3 series diesel but neither could the 458 next to me and I'm ok living in that performance bracket. It's fast, is the best sounding car we've had by a long distance and can just as easily sit at 30 than 170+
While we're talking about the engine you can forget about the coking issues the B7 had as these don't seem to suffer in the same way. It's an easy thing to check as you can get the engine nice and hot and then just nail it in 2nd and look at the small amount of soot clearing away. Once or twice a month is all it needs and the performance drop off you'd get in a B7 that wasn't gifted a walnut clean will never happen. Service it, keep the oil topped up (mine uses about a litre every 6 months/5k) but it's designed to burn off a little oil when being ran at high temps and RPM so again, just look after it.
They do eat tyres and need Pilot Sport 4S. Never ever use Pirellis but that goes for any car as they are s
t.In today's market they are now extremely cheap to buy. Forget the low mileage ones as they'll cost you more than any basic fixes or servicing on a regularly used one like mine. I got mine from Fontain in Iver (hello Dr G) and will give you a good place to start from if you're still considering one.
MPG is 23 over the life of the car, 23.3 since we've had it and when I used it almost exclusively for long trips it'd do 30 without issue. I can get 30 pottering around outside of town driving too so aside from the 911 (I can get 42mpg on trips with that) it's extremely economical compared to the company it keeps.
Edited by moneypits on Sunday 29th December 13:28
Sepang blue or panther black with silver rotars, modified standard exhaust (mod stock) and buckets is my ideal spec. They loon timeless with their massive arches and sharp looks. May be up to 10 years old now so Will obviously not be as dynamic as newer metal but I'd still have one of these any time. The fact you've had it 8 years speaks volumes, cracking write up.
Toddtherod said:
moneypits said:
Toddtherod said:
Nice collection.
Thx!Toddtherod said:
What's the RS4 like to run day to day in this day and age? Does it still seem quick compared to today's mild hybrids/diesels? No offence, ever since I've seen one I've wanted one and they still look great but I'm abit worried myself that if I bought one I'd be a little disappointed. I've looked at 3 now recently and still can't decide if I should buy one or not ????
wordsEdited by moneypits on Sunday 29th December 13:28
Sepang blue or panther black with silver rotars, modified standard exhaust (mod stock) and buckets is my ideal spec. They loon timeless with their massive arches and sharp looks. May be up to 10 years old now so Will obviously not be as dynamic as newer metal but I'd still have one of these any time. The fact you've had it 8 years speaks volumes, cracking write up.
Go try one with a full history and low owners and it might be just up your street. The wingback seats aren't very comfortable and due to their value can attract the wrong crowd to your driveway so I'd avoid them or get a big dog to live it in
This is PERFECT https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/17816273 and I'd say 4k over it's real price.
Forgot to mention the brake discs are OEM only and cost four figures per axel so the more life you have in those the better. I got through a set every 40k. Don't look at the car tax either...
Edited by moneypits on Monday 30th December 20:31
moneypits said:
Toddtherod said:
moneypits said:
Toddtherod said:
Nice collection.
Thx!Toddtherod said:
What's the RS4 like to run day to day in this day and age? Does it still seem quick compared to today's mild hybrids/diesels? No offence, ever since I've seen one I've wanted one and they still look great but I'm abit worried myself that if I bought one I'd be a little disappointed. I've looked at 3 now recently and still can't decide if I should buy one or not ????
wordsEdited by moneypits on Sunday 29th December 13:28
Sepang blue or panther black with silver rotars, modified standard exhaust (mod stock) and buckets is my ideal spec. They loon timeless with their massive arches and sharp looks. May be up to 10 years old now so Will obviously not be as dynamic as newer metal but I'd still have one of these any time. The fact you've had it 8 years speaks volumes, cracking write up.
Go try one with a full history and low owners and it might be just up your street. The wingback seats aren't very comfortable and due to their value can attract the wrong crowd to your driveway so I'd avoid them or get a big dog to live it in
This is PERFECT https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/17816273 and I'd say 4k over it's real price.
Forgot to mention the brake discs are OEM only and cost four figures per axel so the more life you have in those the better. I got through a set every 40k. Don't look at the car tax either...
Edited by moneypits on Monday 30th December 20:31
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